Process of producing nickel salts.



UNITED STATES HANS A. FRASOH, OF HAMILTON, CANADA.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING NICKEL SALTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,391, dated December24, 1901.

Application filed August '7, 1901. Serial No. 71,250. (No specimens.)

To all whmn it floaty concern:

Be it known that I, HANS A. FRASCH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth and Province ofOntario, Canada, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inProcesses of Producing Nickel Salts, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the separation of a nickel-ammonium compound,as described and claimed in United States Letters Patent granted to me,No. 669,899, dated March 12, 1901. In the patent referred to I have setforth the separation of nickel from copper, cobalt, zinc, and othermetals whose hydroxids are soluble in ammonia by saturating a solutionof a salt of these metals with ammonia in excess and precipitating thenickelammonium salt by the addition thereto of a salt capable ofdisplacing it. I have discov ered that the nickel can also be separatedfrom other metals by treating the oxids or hydroxids with ammonia andthen adding common salt or any other salt capable of displacing thenickel-ammonium salt.

To carry out my process, I precipitate the metals contained in anickel-bea ring solution in form of their hydroxids by the additionthereto of a suitable reagent, such as an alkali, calcium hydrate, orother alkaline earth. The hydroxids thereby precipitated are separatedfrom the solution by means of filtration or otherwise. These hydroxideare then treated with a solution of ammonia or with a salt of ammonia,such as ammonium chlorid or sulfate, which is capable of reacting withthe hydroxids to liberate free ammonia, and thereby all the metals whosehydroxide are soluble in ammonia are brought into solution and separatedfrom the insoluble residuum, such as iron, by filtration. To thisammoniacal solution bearing all the metals whose hydroxids are solublein ammonia I add common salt, upon the addition of which thenickel-ammonium salt precipitates, it being insoluble in ammoniatedsalt-brine.

The analysis of the salt obtained by this method shows: nickel, 17 .5;ammonium,(com bined,) 19; ammonia, (free,) 21.3; chlorin, 42.1; total,99.9. This nickel ammonium salt on present determination corresponds tothe chemical formula The two equivalents of chlorin and ammoniapresentin this salt above the one expressed in my Patent No. 669,899,above referred to, are due originally to the presence of sodium hydrate,the reaction of this process being This double salt of ammonium nicklechlorid in presence of sodium hydrate and water undergoes a secondaryreaction, viz:

Reaction between the ammonium chlorid and caustic soda is avoided by thefurther addition of ammonia and salt, the final product then obtainedbeing insoluble in ammoniated salt brine.

The product as obtained by this process in the presence of water isunstable and upon standing in solution separates nickel hydroxid, thesodium reverting to the chlorid. The reactions above stated offer ameans of producing sodium hydrate from sodium chlorid, and I herebyreserve theright to make application for Letters Patent for this processin so far as it can be applied to the manufacture of caustic soda.

What I claim is- 1. The process of producing a nickel-ammonium salt,which consists in dissolving an oxid of nickel in a solution of ammoniaand precipitating the nickel-ammonium salt by the addition of a saltcapable to displace it.

2. The process of separating nickel from copper and other metals, whichconsists in bringing the metals into solution, precipitating thehydroxide by the addition of a suitable reagent, dissolving thehydroxide which are soluble in ammonia in a solution of ammonia andprecipitating the nickel from this solution by the addition thereto of asalt capable of displacing the nickel.

3. The process of separating nickel from copper and other metals, whichconsists in able reagent, dissolving the hydroxids which are soluble inammonia in a solution of ammonia and precipitating the nickel by theaddition of sodium chlorid.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of July,A. D. 1901.

HANS A. FRASCH.

Witnesses:

A. M. HERRIMAN, M. E. GHEBRIER.

